Thumbnails play the YouTube equivalent of a movie poster, aiming to draw your attention to click and watch when you have hundreds of videos clogging your recommended content. Most of us have been baited to click on a video thanks to a flashy title and enticing thumbnail, only to be disappointed when the actual content has nothing to do with what the headline promised.
Using attention-grabbing (often misleading) thumbnails and titles has become a standard practice on YouTube. However, the platform has now announced a crackdown on particularly “egregious” examples of clickbait.
Starting with a rollout in India, YouTube will take action against videos that feature clickbait titles and thumbnails, particularly those tied to breaking news or current events. YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon told The Verge that the enforcement will extend to more countries in the coming months. While creators won’t receive strikes during the initial phase, any videos violating the new policy will be removed.
“We’re strengthening our efforts to tackle egregious clickbait on YouTube. This means we’re planning to increase our enforcement against videos where the title or thumbnail promises viewers something that the video doesn’t deliver,” the company said in a Google India blog post. “This can leave viewers feeling tricked, frustrated, or even misled—particularly in moments when they come to YouTube in search of important or timely information.”
YouTube provided examples of egregious clickbait, such as a video titled “The President Resigned!” that doesn’t cover a resignation, and a “Top Political News” thumbnail attached to a video with no actual news content. Accusations of clickbait are common, so YouTube’s fairly narrow definition is useful for those who want to avoid getting into hot water with the platform.
“As we continue to educate creators, our enforcement efforts will prioritize new video uploads moving forward,” YouTube’s statement added.
The question of how to tackle misinformation and disinformation has long been a challenge on the internet. Over the past year, YouTube has introduced a number of other changes, including a feature that allows users to leave notes correcting misinformation, similar to X’s Community Notes.
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